A recent opinion poll put Ms Bligh’s personal popularity at a new low, with voters angry about state issues including her planned assets sale.

Ms Bligh, who takes over as national president of the Labor Party next month, said she would join Ms Gillard on the hustings before the August 21 election.

Asked whether she was worried her own poor polling might hurt federal Labor’s chances, she said Australians would vote on federal issues and who was best placed to run the country.

“The voters of Queensland, in my view, will go into the ballot box on polling day and they will make a judgment [on] who is best for this country, who is best for Queensland - Julia Gillard or
Tony Abbott
," she said. “And they’ll be looking at the big federal issues."

She said Queensland would be an important battleground, and Ms Gillard was a seasoned campaigner who took no vote for granted.

“I think Julia Gillard has a lot to offer Australia and I’m looking forward to a very interesting campaign," she said.

Ms Bligh also took a shot at Queensland Liberal National Party leader
John-Paul Langbroek
, who left on a two-week overseas study tour on Monday.